


A Newer Tree

by MischievousMeh



Series: Marble Birds [2]
Category: Marble Hornets, Slenderverse - Fandom
Genre: HE LOSES THEM A LOT, JAY HAS SO MANY FEATHERS, Jam, M/M, Marble Birds AU, Multi, Nobody Dies, alex has some problems, alex is an arsonist, amy isnt dead, blue jay! jay, diamond dove! seth, fuck you alex kralie, he's not necessarily bad but he's kinda trying to kill everyone., humans are awful, hummingbird! jessica, jay gets a hug in the first chapter thank god, jay needs a hug, lovebird! sarah, magpie! alex, mockingbird! brian, not really up to canon that much, past! amy/alex, raven! tim, snowfinch! amy, tim is a stubborn bastard, tim redoes his old shit, trans! jay, whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:24:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6336067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MischievousMeh/pseuds/MischievousMeh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When havoc descends upon the forest he lives in once again, how will Jay deal with it? How will he find his missing friends, and deal with the ever-growing feeling in his stomach when he sees a certain raven? Also, how's he going to deal with the mad escaped arsonist who is dead set to kill him?</p><p>Marble Birds AU. Remake of the previous work in the series (New Tree).<br/>Tumblr is now mischievous-rabbit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [New Tree](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1832512) by [MischievousMeh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MischievousMeh/pseuds/MischievousMeh). 



> HEY OKAY SO I SAID MAYBE IT WOULD BE SOMETIME THIS WEEK  
> I LIED IT'S RIGHT NOW. IT'S TODAY.  
> IT'S ALSO OVER TRIPLE THE WORD COUNT OF THE ORIGINAL. FUCK YES.
> 
> So, here's the first chapter, at least?? Much better than the old one.  
> Still kickin' it to: https://8tracks.com/youareyoubutwhoareyou/a-jam-mix  
> or should i say,,, JAMMING it to,,,,  
> but you know what else im jamming it to??  
> https://8tracks.com/youareyoubutwhoareyou/a-jam-mix-redone  
> the remade version. no but seriously listen to those theyre??? really good.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay visits his friend, and they discuss current events.

The air was chilled, despite the sun’s beams shining their way through the canopy. It was a ridiculous notion for it to be so cold at noon, especially considering the warmer weather the forest had experienced the previous day. Autumn was soon to be upon the denizens of the forest, much to the dismay of most. Colder temperatures weren’t often favored by the inhabitants, especially the birds, in particular.

            This, however, did not stop a very determined young blue jay from visiting his friend. Blue, white, and black feathers mingled together across the treetops as the blue jay soared over the lush green forestry beneath him. A bright grin lit up his face as he thought of his friend, whom he had neglected to visit in a while. Not that it was his choice, of course, but he still felt the guilt.

            Soon enough, the bright green of the forest thinned out more and more as the bird made his way to his destination. The strong oaks, filled mostly green but yellowing leaves, gave way to barren trees, with branches like dark antlers of a deer’s shadow. The ground, too, had been greyed like the trees sprouting from it. The blue jay shuddered as he remembered the awful fire, which raged through the forest with its terrifying flames, licking at the trees and toppling down most everything with it. This area of the forest had been relatively untouched, though the open fields of rolling hills just beyond were not previously fields. He narrowed his eyes disgustedly, remembering of the non-winged ones below, whom found it simple to take advantage of the cleared land. They’d begun clearing away some of the weaker and more damaged trees the previous week with their odd yellow machines.

            As he made his way through, his eyes locked onto a particular tree with a bloodied bandage hanging upon one of its higher branches. An old, worn birdhouse sat on it, appearing to barely hang onto the more stable area of the tree. The wood was stained with the shadow of rains long passed, though it was still a sturdy house. It was quite tall, with a few smaller ‘buildings’ attached to it. The windows were high and circular, though it didn’t do much good for a raven who couldn’t currently fly. The blue jay’s previous disgust faded as his thoughts shifted to his injured friend, and he hurriedly landed upon the marked branch. Walking around the side of the birdhouse, he knocked in a rhythm with his knuckles absentmindedly. A low laugh was audible from inside the small, ramshackle house, and a voice called out to him.

            “ **Come on in, Jay.** ”

            Of course, Tim would’ve known it was him right away. Jay had developed a bad habit of knocking against the raven’s house, and it wasn’t long after the first few visits that his friend had begun to notice. Jay felt his face light up, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, as he made his way to the large opening that served as a door. He stepped into the hollowed home, nearly as barren as the land outside. A few pillows were piled in one corner, with a stash of food and water in the other. It had been a gift from Brian, as Jay recalled, in case of emergencies. A small table with a few chairs, wooden as the rest of the house was, sat near one of the lower windows. A staircase led up to the higher room, which served as a storage space for Tim’s possessions, though there were not many. Likely just his medicine and mementoes that he kept from over the years. The raven of topic was sunken into the pillow pile, looking at his friend with a sheepish grin through half-closed eyes.

“ **Tim!** ” Jay chirped, greeting his dismal friend. The raven shook his head, some of his hair falling into his face a bit. “ **It’s been a while. What brings you way out here?** ” Tim asked, his darkened eyes focusing on the somewhat exhausted blue jay.

“ **What do you mean ‘what brings me way out here’? You do, of course.** ” He answered back, concern filling his facial features. His eyes drifted over to Tim’s overly bandaged wing. He remembered the fire, and Tim’s broken wing, and the person associated with both of those events. It was so odd that Alex had snapped like that, but it was aside them now. Tim must’ve noticed the blue jay’s gaze, for he spoke up with, “ **It’s getting better. It’ll take a while, but it’s better than it was before.** ”

Jay felt his face light up in embarrassment as he realized he’d been caught staring. He immediately regretted it, almost feeling guilty for bringing up his friend’s injuries. “ **How long did the doctor say it’d take?** ” He asked, his voice now lower. Tim had been injured in a horrific incident, the likes of which had never been seen the forest before. It wasn’t often a friend would turn on their other friends, let alone react to them with violence.

“ **About two more weeks, now.** ” Tim answered, ruffling his good wing. The feathers pushed out more, giving the wing a fluffier look, and the raven wrapped the black wing around him as best he could. The wind was beginning to draft into the small birdhouse, causing Jay to shiver, before Tim’s response clicked into his head. He furrowed his brow, highly upset, and mostly fearful for his friend.

“ **Two weeks?! We can’t wait that long! Damn it, Tim, don’t you know what the humans are doing?!** ” Jay’s voice came out much louder than he thought it would. Internally cringing, he awaited the raven’s response. A long, exaggerated sigh came from his darker feathered friend as he shot Jay a glance. He then looked away from the blue jay, shaking his head.

“ **You think I don’t know that? I hear them, every damn day, getting closer.** ” He murmured, his eyes downcast. “ **They’re going to tear down this tree, Jay. And I’m going to have to go down with it. There’s no way I’m going to be able to leave. You know that.** ” Jay was about to protest before the taller bird sank deeper into the pillow pile, and he decided against it.

“ **It’s… it’s really that bad, huh?** ” He asked, attempting at idle conversation. Jay felt absolutely horrible about the whole situation. His friend was trapped in a tree that was destined to be cut down for the humans’ silly market bullshit, and he didn’t know how to help him. To top things off, it seemed as though Tim had given up on getting help. It itched at him, the realization that Tim didn’t care about his certain death. And with nothing else to do, why not make basic chitchat?

            “ **Well, I mean, Alex did take a fucking cinderblock to it.** ” Came Tim’s response, drained of all emotion. Jay couldn’t tell what his friend was feeling, and that certainly scared him the most.

“ **Yeah, that was, uh, pretty bad. You okay? Do you need anything or…?** ” The blue jay asked, embarrassment slowly creeping up on him again.

“ **I’m fine, really. What's been up with the formerly local arsonist lately? Or have you heard?** ” The raven questioned, a hint of humor in his voice, presented in his very serious question. Jay recalled that Tim hadn’t really left his house since the incident, for obvious reasons, and therefore was out of the loop on news, so to say.

“ **He’s a jailbird now. His trial will be sometime next year, I think. Something about higher crime rates lately. I’m not sure of all the details.** ” Jay chirped, finally pulling up a seat from the table. He dragged it across the wooden floor to a spot parallel to his friend’s pillow pile. Sitting down, he let out a small yawn, stretching his wings and having a few feathers fall to the floor.

Tim snorted at the blue jay’s pun, rolling his eyes. He couldn’t help but grin, unable to wipe the amusement from his face. “ **Well, on the bright side, they didn’t confiscate my pillows. Or my trinkets.** ” The raven chuckled, reaching deeper into the pillows and pulling out a shiny spoon with intricately carved markings depicting birds. He had a tendency to pick up some of the shinier objects humans leave behind, and although he isn’t one to steal often, he certainly hasn’t been able to kick the habit of taking the shinies.

“ **They don’t deserve them back, honestly. After all the shit they’re doing, I mean. Especially that one asshole with the suit.** ” Jay commented, his eyes following the hand motions Tim made as he spoke, spoon still dangling from his fingers.

“ **He’s still coming around, you know? Tall, pale, and grotesque has been hanging around me like a damn vulture since I was just a kid. Christ, I’ve had it with him. Wish he’d give me some fucking breathing room at least. Jeez.** ” Tim huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He sat for a second, before his eyes widened and he looked at his friend suddenly, face now flooded with a sudden realization. “ **Hey… didn’t he hang around Alex, too? Doesn’t that mean something?** ”

The blue jay shrugged, unable to give a real answer. “ **I mean, I guess so? I feel like there’s more to it than that.** ” He yawned again, before cutting off mid-yawn with a loud chirp at the sudden rumble outside. His wings ruffled as his fight-or-flight mechanism attempted to kick in, all the while Tim was laughing.

“ **What, you’ve never heard one of their machines before?** ” The raven asked, unable to quell his laughter for very long.

            “ **Aw, shut it!** ” The lighter bird laughed, a bit embarrassed. He sighed as the laughter died down between the two of them, the silence reminding them of a very serious issue. Well, the temporary peace was pleasant while it lasted.

            “ **Tim…** ” Jay murmured, breaking the sound of the distant rumble and the rustling of distant leaves. “ **I’m not letting you stay here. I’m going to get you out of here, whether you like it or not.** ” His voice was quiet but the tone of severity remained. He would refuse to let Tim stay here and wait for his death.

            Tim didn’t meet his eyes, instead choosing to stare out of the nearest window. “ **It’s no use, Jay. Just forget about it already. Leave me he-** “ He was cut off by a loud chirp from the bird across from him, standing up.

            “ **Tim! I’m not going to let you just sit around and die here, damn it!** ” Jay yelled, tears brimming at his eyes at the idea of losing his friend. His chest heaved as he forced himself to hold back his sobs, and he glared daggers at the raven in the pile.

            The raven didn’t answer, one of his eyes slowly drifting to rest on the exhausted and nearly crying blue jay standing in his living room. “ **How do you think you’re going to save me, huh?** ” He cawed lowly, his eyes narrowing bitterly. The cold in his voice filled the empty space between them, nearly snakelike as it curled around Jay’s chest, constricting his heart.

            Jay shook his head, tears beginning to roll down his face as his facade began to crack. He didn’t realize he’d curled his hands into fists or that his teeth were clenched, and he especially hadn’t realized the raven had risen to his feet. Tim stood in front of the blue jay, a lot closer then Jay original thought he was, hurt reflected upon his face.

            Before Jay could say anything, the raven’s arms were wrapped around him and he was pulled forward into Tim’s embrace. It was difficult trying not to break down and cry, but he managed to pull through it, though he was sniffling all the same. “ **I’m going to save you, Tim. You can’t stop me. I’m going to figure out a way to get you out of this tree. You’re coming with me, alright?** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wOW YES THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR,,, IF YOU'VE READ IT ALL??  
> 2, 013 words exactly but I was on a time crunch sorta?? so.,,,  
> anyway, i'm going to try to make each chapter AT LEAST 1,200 to 2, 500 words  
> i might post more later this week but i dont know if i will.  
> one step at a time, yeah? okay.


	2. Entry #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OPERATION: SAVIN' THAT RAVEN has commenced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, so this chapter is from Tim's point of view. Insight to his thoughts about the whole ordeal and the like.  
> Also featuring: vague descriptions of Tim's flashback nightmares. ;; - ;;  
> 1, 342 word count.

The raven sighed, his arms uncoiling from the blue jay in front of him. “ **Jay, listen. I know you mean well, but I just don’t think it’s going to work.** ” Tim tried to reason with him, but the smaller man was already turned towards the door. With wings outstretched and newly scattered feathers on the floor, he looked over his shoulder.

            “ **I’m not taking no for an answer.** ” Jay responded, before flapping his wings and departing from the old birdhouse. Tim let out a loud sigh as he watched his friend fly off into the distance in the direction that was most certainly Brian’s house. He threw his arms up in frustration, before walking back over to the pillow pile and making himself situated again.

            “ **What, he’s gonna go get Brian? Ugh.** ” The raven commented to himself, noting the sun had shifted in position during the small time Jay was there. The rays now lit up most of the birdhouse, the brightness nearly blinding. Tim looked over the spoon, still in his hands, with disinterest. He’d caused trouble for his friends again, and while he wouldn’t admit it, the guilt he felt was immense. He especially disliked the idea of his blue friend going off to retrieve Brian, of all of their friends. Brian was definitely the closest to him, and Tim knew he would _definitely_ be insistent on Jay’s idea, whatever it may be.

            The raven’s eyes drifted over to the food stash, and his stomach growled loudly. He was hungry, but didn’t have the will to pick himself up from the pile again. Instead, Tim’s hands drifted down to a blanket bundled up in the corner of the room. Pulling it up to him, he thought to himself about the current ordeal. “ _In this birdhouse lived a tired, bitter raven with a broken wing, sitting and awaiting his inevitable death_.” He thought, his mind flooding with questions of how exactly he could even manage to weasel his way out of this one. Nothing came to mind.

            Tim sat with a swimming mind and silence, and he felt unsettled. He was alone often – that was not anything new to him. But with the presence of his friend gone, he felt something else leave with him, even if it was only there temporarily. Liveliness? He didn’t know, but in that moment, he yearned for it to come back and fill the void left by his isolation. It was no use trying to wish it back, so, without any better ideas, the raven stretched out into the pillow pile in an attempt to get some sleep.

            With the sun beaming through his windows, sleep was difficult. He’d tossed and turned in an attempt to shield his eyes, careful of his broken wing, and eventually ended up turned towards the bland wall behind him. Tim enjoyed the sun’s warmth while he could, for soon it would be a rare pleasure only known to the warmest of winter days. A sudden gust of wind startled him, a scarce few black feathers finding their way from his wings, and he’d almost expect to see Jay. He hadn’t taken into consideration that he’d only been gone for a few moments. Time was odd for the raven, hardly linear. Time did not pass correctly, or at least didn’t as he comprehended it.

            When Tim shot a glance over his shoulder and didn’t see the blue jay, he turned back to the wall, and resumed his task of attempting sleep. Soon enough, the raven drifted into a calming blackness. Alas, it was not calm for much longer. His dreams were ridden with fire and his own screams. Faint visions of Alex and the faceless human plagued his sleep, and it was only when he was shaken awake and called to by a familiar voice that he was dragged back into reality.

            “ **Tim! Tim, wake up!** ” Jay chirped, startling the drowsy man. Tim jolted up, accidentally bumping his wing in the process. With a sharp intake of breath, the raven recoiled in pain. “ **Oh, oh! Are you alright? D-did I do that?** ” The blue jay questioned with concern in his voice. Tim shook his head in response, looking over his shoulder. He recognized the familiar figures of two other birds, and struggled to push himself upward.

            “ **Need some help, buddy?** ” Came the voice of Brian, and the raven swore he could almost _hear_ the sheepish grin on his face. It took a lot to keep him from letting out a low laugh, but he refused to give in. “ _Maybe I am just as stubborn as Jay._ ” He thought to himself, but pushed the thoughts away as he faced his guests. As he had expected Jay would, his blue friend managed to go out of his way to drag Jessica and Brian all the way out here to his ramshackle little house in a futile attempt to get him to leave. Of course.

            “ **The only ones who need help are you guys, if you think you can get me out of here.** ” Tim replied with a snark-heavy voice. He couldn’t fathom just why they insisted on saving him, especially Jay. He’d already made his peace with his upcoming death (or, at least that’s what he convinced himself), and he didn’t understand why they wouldn’t. He heard the mockingbird’s feet shift uncomfortably at his comment, but the determination on his friends’ faces did not falter.

            “ **Tim,** ” The hummingbird began, her voice softer than the raven had expected, “ **you can’t expect us to just… leave you here. Don’t you know what you mean to us?** ” She asked, her face reflecting something akin to hurt. Tim didn’t meet her eyes, though he knew they would be just as upsetting to look at. “ **I shouldn’t mean anything to you, really.** ” He struggled to choke out. The raven felt like punching himself immediately afterwards, but he wouldn’t apologize for speaking his mind. He didn’t deserve his friends, and his friends didn’t deserve to deal with all the trouble he’d caused them.

            “ **Well, you do. And you’re going to be coming with us.** ” Brian replied, his voice firm. The mockingbird had known Tim for quite some while – longer than most of his other friends. Tim didn’t have many friends, as he tended to keep to himself, and most other avians didn’t associate with birds in the corvid family, so it was no stretch to say that the mockingbird standing in front of him was easily his first _real_ friend. Brian knew Tim couldn’t resist forever, especially when he asked. “ **I’m assuming Jay’s already made a plan, huh?** ” The raven asked.

            “ **Uh, yeah. Talked it over on the way here, actually.** ” Jay piped up, chuckling nervously. “ **It involves us lifting your nerd ass out of here. I call it Operation: Savin’ That Raven.** ” He continued, a bit proudly at the name.

            “ **Wait. Did you seriously just say ‘Savin’ That Raven’?** ” Tim echoed, his face a mix of disappointment, disgust, and utter amusement. “ **You named it ‘Savin’ That Raven’?** ”

            “ **Well, yeah, I mean… I couldn’t really think of anything better.** ”

            “ **Dweeb.** ” The raven commented, a smile spreading across his face. “ _My friends are dumb and I love them so much._ ” He thought to himself, but continued listening to the explanation of the aforementioned plan.

            “ **We get you out of here by way of our _stronk_ muscles. And then, we find you a new place to stay. But that could take _forever,_ so you’ll be staying with Jay for the time being.**” Brian explained, having emitted a snort from Tim at the use of “stronk.”

            “ **Listen, I don’t want to be a burden. I’ll just -** “He was cut off by Jessica’s voice chiming in.

            “ **You won’t be a burden. You can’t find really any hotels that aren’t booked within a five mile radius, and honestly, I don’t think we can even carry you that far. Just stay with Jay, alright? His house is closest, anyway.** ”

            The raven was hesitant, but nodded anyway. “ **Alright, you got me. I’ll do it.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading up to this part (if you didnt just skip down here???)!  
> I appreciate any kudos left, because it wills me to write more most of the time. ; v ;  
> Spring break is next week (technically starts tomorrow b ut,,) and I might be able to write out two more chapters then, but that's all for this week.


	3. Entry #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim gets transferred to Jay's tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wo W ho Ly s H I T,,,  
> it is so early in the morning  
> i havent been able to stay up this long in literally three years  
> b ut  
> 1270 words, just to rush the update out because i've made a schedule for myself.
> 
> jay's point of view, things are getting cheesy.  
> i didnt include the part where the pilot him through open skies bc i have no fucking clue how to do that and make it not sound like shit. :^))

A relieved sigh spread between the three birds in front of Tim. Jay was happy that he finally convinced his friend to come with them, a mix of relief and something that he couldn’t quite place drowning out the worry lingering in his chest as a wide smile stretched across his face.

            He didn’t think it would be as easy as it was, especially since Tim disliked being picked up. The blue jay could remember when Brian had tried picking him up, years prior, when he’d sprained his ankle. The raven had reacted negatively, squirming out of the mockingbird’s grasp and falling to the floor painfully, his wings still ruffling as the thud sounded. Brian had apologized over and over, expressing how sorry he was and how he didn’t realize that Tim didn’t like being picked up, but Tim insisted that he shouldn’t be apologizing. Such was a time more peaceful than the one that was current, the blue jay reflected, and that must’ve been why the raven accepted the inevitability of having to be carried.

            “ **So,** ” the raven spoke up, “ **when are we going?** ” Brian was the first to answer him. “ **As soon as you’re ready. We need to get you out of here as soon as possible. We’re not going to wait around for the humans to get closer.** ”

            Tim nodded, though the uncertainty in his eyes wasn’t as masked as he likely would’ve liked it to be. Jay had always been observant, and that detail didn’t go past him. “ **Just… give me a minute, alright?** ” The raven’s request wasn’t too much to ask, and no one could ask for less of him. Such a sudden change would be overwhelming to anyone, especially someone who didn’t really intend to get out of there.

            Brian nodded, but said nothing. It fell silent between the four of them, and while Tim paced around his home, of which he had become so familiar and would miss, despite how run-down it truly was, the atmosphere seemed to have changed. Jessica sent a glance to Jay, mostly indecipherable. The two stared at each other for a moment, Jay raising an eyebrow, and the hummingbird motioning to the pacing raven with her head.

            The blue jay, upon realizing what she was saying, nodded solemnly. He let out a breath, stood up a bit taller, and then walked over to Tim. He tapped the pacing man’s shoulder, and the raven turned to meet his glance. Both were quiet. “ **I know.** ” Tim whispered, sighing.

            “ **It hurts to leave, I know, but it’s for your own good, Tim.** ” Jessica murmured, her eyes soft and apologetic in their own way. The mockingbird among them nodded, still silent. The quiet unnerved all of them, but there wasn’t much to say, and it was as if they were at a loss for words, either way.

            “ **We’re… we’re going to leave my stuff, aren’t we?** ” The raven asked, sounding a bit sad, though it was a step-up from the atmosphere mere seconds prior. “ **Nope! I mean, we’re going to try not to leave anything? If we have to, we’ll make two trips.** ” Jay chirped, trying to encourage his friend that maybe it wasn’t all that bad.

            A look of surprise and relief was reflected on Tim’s face. He blinked a few times, and looked away, as if lost in thought. “ **We, uh, better get going, though.** ” The blue jay murmured, hoping he didn’t sound too pushy.

            With that, the group began packing Tim’s belongings up. Jessica thought it would be best to stay behind and finish packing and start flying the boxes to Jay’s house, all the while Brian and Jay piloted him to their destination.

 

* * *

 

           After a long and harrowing flight that consisted of a very upset and uncomfortable raven making rude comments about a certain magpie for crippling him, the three birds found themselves at Jay’s birdhouse. Setting Tim down on the porch, Brian nearly collapsed beside him. “ **Whew!** ” The mockingbird exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air as he lay on the wooden floor.

            Jay sat down on the other side of the raven, equally exhausted as his friends. Jessica stood over them, a look of triumph on her face. “ **What took you so long?** ” She asked with mock innocence. The hummingbird was easily the fastest of all of them, and she often boasted of her skill. “ **Well, in our defense, we were carrying Tim, and he’s not made entirely of feathers…** ” Jay responded, blinking up at her.

            Tim brought a hand up to his heart, clutching it in false pain. “ **Ouch. Savage, Jay, savage.** ” The raven pretended to be hurt, causing a laugh from the mockingbird on his other side and the hummingbird looking down over him. The blue jay beamed at him, nearly unable to contain his own laughter.

            “ **I take it you’ve finished carrying all of his shit, yeah?** ” Brian asked the giggling hummingbird. Jessica nodded. “ **Yeah, it’s all inside. Hope you don’t mind, Jay, but it’s all sort of stacked up in your living room.** ” She chirped, her expression changing from a bit smug to slightly nervous.

            “ **Oh, it’s fine, really.** ” The blue jay pushed himself up on his hands, his feet dangling off of the porch. Sighing, he looked out onto the forest as his friends began to make idle chatter. The sky was beginning to darken, with reddened clouds dotting the sky in fluffy bunches. The treetops ahead and under him were lush and green, and he could see the faint shape of walnuts in a few. The flight out to his birdhouse had been a long one, as Jay had expected it would be, but he didn’t expect to see the moon faintly in the distance, peeking out from the rim of the mountains.

            It seemed Jessica noticed too, as she cut her part of the conversation short with, “ **Well, it’s getting late. I gotta go home.** ” She stepped out of the doorway, her wings beginning to flap rapidly. “ **Later, losers!** ” And with that, she flew off into the underbrush beneath Jay’s tree, likely because her home was much easier to find when she could tell where she was going.

            The three men resumed conversing about anything and everything, from the weather to current news, and what they had all been up to since the fire had burned a great deal of the eastern part of the forest. When the moon had hung only a margin over the mountaintops, Brian departed as well, back to the safety and warmth of his own birdhouse that rested a fair distance away.

            Jay nudged Tim’s shoulder with his elbow gently, motioning for him to come inside. “ **Well, are we just gonna hang out on the porch all night?** ” He asked, a grin on his face. The blue jay could hear the other man grumble something, but couldn’t make out what he’d said. Jay watched as Tim entered and the raven’s eyes wandered around the house. Tim hadn’t been to this birdhouse, since it was only a month ago that Jay had gotten it. Finding a new home was very difficult, considering prices had skyrocketed after the fire.

            “ **Nice place.** ” The raven commented, still looking around, before his eyes came to settle on Jay. “ **It’s, uh, mostly unfurnished at the moment, but it’s a work in progress.** ” The shorter of the two responded. Tim nodded in acknowledgement, unknowing of the blue jay silently catching himself staring at his friend.

            “ **Much better than my shitty old place, I’ll give you that.** ” Tim laughed, and he had laughed in such a way to make Jay’s heart flutter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess what's coming up soon,,, ssquiddos,,,,  
> the 'theres only one bed' trope ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> also, more cheese. i hope you're ready.   
> next chapter will be from tim's point of view too, so actual description of jay's house.


	4. Entry #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay and Tim share a bed after a somewhat short home tour. Tim realizes he doesn't mind looking at a sleeping blue jay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1220 words  
> i said i'd describe jay's house but  
> i only described the living room/kitchen  
> i'm leaving the other stuff mostly up to your imagination :^)))   
> bc im bad at things.  
> anyway, mostly filler chapter. nothing really happens plot wise, except that tim gets a grand tour of the place,  
> and they share a bed.

“ **You want a tour of the place, or…?** ” Jay asked, his face flushing lightly. Tim crossed his arms as he wondered exactly what had the blue jay so embarrassed. “ **I mean, I’m apparently gonna be here a while, so that’d be helpful, yeah.** ” The raven teased. Jay’s house was bigger than his old birdhouse, with larger windows being something he noted out of everything. Sleeping in would be more difficult, but he remembered his mother’s advice of many years prior. “ _Sunshine makes people happier_.” She had said. Tim’s mood fell a little upon the memory of his mother.

            It was an over-exaggeration to say the house was grand, but to Tim, it was almost a castle. “ _A castle fit for a little blue prince,_ ” He thought to himself. The floors were carpeted, shades of blue mixing together to complement the rest of the home as visitors stepped upon its plush surface. The living room, where he stood with Jay, seemed welcoming and hospitable in contrast to his own living room. Where his living room was bland, old, and uncomfortable, Jay’s was furnished with soft couches and tall lamps in the corners of the room and a small fireplace embedded into the eastern wall. A doorway was just to the left of the fireplace, and Tim wondered where it could lead, but before he could ask, his wrist was being grabbed by a now calmer blue jay, and he was being pulled into the kitchen that connected to the living room.

            Jay dragged him through the entryway to the kitchen. “ **This is the kitchen, naturally. Over there,** ” He nodded to the door on the right of them, “ **is the laundry room. Weird set-up, I know, but this place was pretty cheap compared to most other houses on the market.** ” Tim admired the hardwood flooring beneath him. It wasn’t just a board pattern, it was actual oak boards placed down. They reflected the hanging light that rested above the island in the middle of the kitchen. The cabinets above the dark marble counter were a plain white with silver handles. A silver refrigerator let off a quiet hum. In the far end of the room, next to the window, was a dining table of dark oak wood. Jay must’ve noticed Tim staring at it, as he chirped, “ **Yeah, we don’t have a dining room, so I had to improvise.** ”

            Jay led him back through the living room, and pointed at a door Tim hadn’t noticed before. “ **That’s the guest bathroom. It doesn’t have a shower, mostly because I don’t exactly have visitors often. Especially, uh, _long-term_ visitors,** ” The raven noticed his friend’s emphasis on ‘long-term’ and let out a chuckle. “ **That’s normal. At least you have a guest bathroom.** ”

            “ **Your old place didn’t have a guest bathroom?** ” The blue jay asked, raising his eyebrows. Tim recalled that Jay never visited his birdhouse that much, and supposed that’s why he hadn’t noticed. Nodding, he answered, “ **My old place was barely a house at all, really. I’m going to miss it, but I shouldn’t.** ”

            The raven found himself staring at the doorway next to the fireplace again, and Jay glanced over to that direction. “ **That’s my room.** ” He chirped. “ **If you need anything, just ask, alright? I’m nearly never in there except during the night.** ”

            Jay’s eyes widened at a sudden realization, and a frown slowly made its way upon his features. “ **Oh, shit. Shiiit. Damn it.** ” The blue jay cursed, biting his lip as his hands curled into firsts. “ **What? What is it?** ” Tim asked, unsure if he should be concerned or not. “ **There’s, uh,** ” Jay trailed off for a moment, his foot beginning to tap, before he turned back to his taller friend, “ **there’s only one bed.** ”

            Tim’s mind went blank. “ **Oh.** ”

* * *

 

            It had been an awkward situation, but Tim couldn’t say he minded much. There he was, partially asleep next to a softly snoring blue jay, and he almost wished it’d last forever. It always took him a while to get to sleep, but at least he’d managed to get the side facing the window. The darkness of night always soothed him in a way he couldn’t describe, nor even think of words for.

            He was so tired, but his brain was still awake. Too awake. It swam with questions and suggestions. Half-hearted assumptions were also among the mix. With too many thoughts and too many feelings to process, Tim sat there, staring out the window. He watched as leaves upon distant trees similar to the one he was housed in drifted away from their branches with the strong wind. He was thankful the house was so warm, and that the blankets were soft.

            He stared up at the ceiling, listening to Jay breathe. Laying on his injured wing wasn’t really the best idea, but it was the option he had chosen. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t end up waking up in a compromising position, but he still turned over. Tim stared at the gentle movement of his sleeping companion. He didn’t notice the smile forming on his face, or even realize that sleep was overcoming him. All he knew was that Jay was really cute when he slept.

            That isn’t to say his night was without nightmares. His dreams had been more vivid this time. He stood alone in a vast emptiness, nothing but shadow surrounding him. A loud and unmistakable chuckle sounded from the darkness. He struggled to find which direction the sound was coming from to no avail. Turning and trying his best to adapt to the dark, to see, to understand what was happening, Tim had begun to panic. His chest heaved as his breath and heart rate quickened. That must’ve been why he didn’t notice Alex walk up behind him, and bash him over the head with a cinderblock.

            His eyes opened slowly, his breathing still heavy. The raven tried to calm himself, repeating the oh-so-familiar mantra he’d come to recognize on his worst of days, ” _It’s only a dream, Tim. You’re still okay. Alex isn’t here._ ” Tim then noticed, once he was calm, a pair of blue eyes staring at him. It took him a second to realize that Jay was blushing, and then another to realize that he had somehow tangled his body among the blue jay’s in his sleep.

            Quickly retracting his arms and legs, a blush lit up his own face as well. “ **S-sorry about that. I don’t know what happened there.** ” Tim murmured, sitting up and turning away to hide his reddening face. Jay made a quiet sound that, if Tim didn’t know better, would be a sound of disappointment.

            “ **What was it about?** ” The question came from the blue jay’s lips before Tim was even completely there. The raven turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head to the side as he often did by habit.

            “ **Your dream.** **What was it about?** ” Jay asked again, knitting his brows together. “ **You, uh, didn’t seem too happy. You were afraid. You were shaking.** ”

            Tim blinked. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and then responded, “ **Just a nightmare. Usual nightmare stuff.** ”

            “ **I don’t know what your usual nightmare stuff is, Tim.** ” The blue jay murmured, a tone of seriousness filling his voice.

            “ **Just… Alex.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who's ready to see tim cry?? :^))) i am.  
> i am ready to write tim crying.
> 
> anyone notice they were so tired that they forgot the couch was an option for sleep?


	5. Entry #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay remembers a magpie named Alex.
> 
> Mostly filler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1266 words. im sorry these are so short. ; -;
> 
> mostly a chapter about what college was like, in regards to alex  
> jay's point of view

            Jay’s mouth formed into a thin line. His stomach nearly dropped when he’d heard Tim’s response, and he couldn’t help but look away for a moment. Tim had strewn his legs over the side of the bed, turned away from his friend. The blue jay looked back at him, only to be met with a pair of black wings.

            “ **I’m sorry.** ” Jay murmured. He truly meant it – he wished Tim didn’t have to suffer through what Alex had done. The blue jay could remember a day when all of his friends were together, and okay, and no one hated each other. What remained of then was fractured, broken shards, like a broken stained glass window.

            Alex had met him in college. Jay had gone on to take film classes, and so did Alex, to an extent. The magpie had also gone into human studies, finding the creatures walking beneath them interesting. Jay never understood what he saw in them. He only saw them as beings of destruction, wishing to take what didn’t belong to them, for their own selfish reasons. ” _Jay,_ ” Alex had said, ” _do you know what humans think of us? They call us harpies. Or, at least they used to. They don’t have a real name for us now. Fuck, they think we’re angels!_ ” Jay never understood why they would think that.

            “ **For what?** ” Tim asked, still facing away from the blue jay. The air around them certainly wasn’t as cold as it felt. The raven didn’t seem to feel it as much as he did.

            Jay and Alex didn’t become friends right away. “ _Funny,_ ” Jay had thought, “ _it isn’t like the movies, is it?_ ” Alex seemed to take a liking to him firstly. He’d take a seat next to Jay nearly every time he could. It was rare for him to be apart from the blue jay. They didn’t even speak much, but it made an impact on Jay when his magpie acquaintance wasn’t there. For weeks, the blue jay didn’t even know his name. Just that he always sat there, and whenever he didn’t, Jay felt a bit lonely.

            “ **I’m sorry he did that to you. You didn’t deserve that.** ” He responded, his eyes still fixated on the wings next to him. He could see Tim squirm under his gaze a bit, obviously uncomfortable, and he diverted his gaze.

            It was when Alex was absent for a day that Jay learned his name. The magpie had elbowed him during a demonstration, asking to borrow his notes from the day prior. He watched as Alex hurriedly scribbled down notes onto his own paper, noting the name in the corner. “ _Alex. Nice name._ ”

            Tim turned. Anger had crossed his face, but there was something in his eyes. Jay would almost categorize it as hurt. “ **Don’t apologize. It wasn’t your fault. Don’t even fucking apologize for what he did.** ” The raven cawed at him, his voice raised but just below a yell.

            Soon enough, Alex and Jay hung out a lot, becoming the best of friends. Jay introduced the magpie to his friends, and was almost surprised to learn that he didn’t really have any friends of his own. He was accepted into the friend group, where he met Jessica, Brian, Tim, Sarah, Seth, and Amy. That was before Tim had really settled into the group himself, Jay recalled. Back when Sarah and Seth were close with the rest of them. Within a week, the magpie was dating Amy.

            Jay didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. He just sat there, in silence, looking at the wallpaper on his wall. It was blue, depicting trees and birds sitting in them. A human-styled thing to have, if he’d ever seen it. He remembered when Alex convinced him to get it.

            The snow finch absolutely loved Alex. The two were closer than Jay had ever seen two people be, and he’d been to parties with Brian. Seth didn’t mind him, but wasn’t quite his friend, either. The magpie hadn’t made a good impression on him, with his bitter attitude and his sharp words.

            The silence continued for a while, before Jay swung his legs over the side of the bed. Maybe it was best to leave Tim alone for a while. While the raven wouldn’t admit it, and likely never would, it was Jay introducing Alex to him that tipped the first domino on the chain of events. He knew that. He bore the guilt with him whenever the magpie crossed his mind, and the guilt often drowned out the fonder memories.

            Sarah thought him to be too demanding. Brian was his friend, and Jessica wasn’t as close to him as Jay, but definitely considered Alex a friend. No one would’ve thought, in those moments, sitting in branches after classes, that the magpie would become so… aggressive. Sure, he wasn’t exactly passive, but he was by no means the man who broke Tim’s wing. He was not the man he used to be when he hurt Seth. When he started the fire, there was something about him that wasn’t him at all.

            Standing up, Jay yawned, stretching his wings out wide, along with his arms. He could hear Tim heaving, and he wasn’t sure if it was from trying to hold back tears or vomit. Part of him wanted to comfort his friend, to tell him he was forgiven, and that he shouldn’t be upset. The blue jay knew exactly why he was upset. Tim didn’t like to raise his voice at his friends. He didn’t enjoy invoking the silence that had followed, and Jay knew that. But Jay also knew better than to pry, as the other half of him forced him onward into the living room, for the raven’s best interests.

            Jay had remembered not wanting to believe it was Alex behind the arson. He didn’t want to believe that, somehow, his best friend had gone rogue and crippled his other friend, and he certainly didn’t want to believe that the magpie had left Tim there to die. But it had been the concern in Brian’s voice and the blood staining his hands and coating his arms that had definitely convinced him. Tim was bloodied and beaten when the mockingbird found him. Some of his feathers were still singed from where the flames licked up against his wings as he lay mostly helpless on the branch of a tree, with aching limbs that he could barely feel and a wing that didn’t function. The blue jay didn’t often look at Tim’s wings. It made him feel guilty.

            A sudden knock at the doorway had Jay nearly jumping out of his skin. Brian waved a hand at the blue jay, bright eyes and a large grin donned on his face.

            “ **Hey! So, how’s it faring?** ” He asked. “ **Hope that asshole hasn’t been too much trouble,** ” The mockingbird joked, his voice a bit quieter.

            Jay was relieved to see Brian, absolutely happy to be free of the ache that thrived in his chest just moments before.

            “ **Of course not!** ” The blue jay chirped. He was happy to have Tim around, despite the previous situation.

            He turned to see the raven walking out of his room, still tired. His movements were a bit sluggish. Jay tried to ignore the fact that his eyes were puffy, but he felt like punching himself, instead.

            “ **Well, speak of the devil! …Tim? Buddy, what’s wrong?** ” It was hard for Jay to even look at Brian’s face.

            “ **Feather in my eye. Jay, you really need to groom your feathers. Jesus Christ.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tim will cry in the next chapter i promise  
> it's not my fault jay doesn't want to listen to tim crying


	6. Entry #5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The raven knew they were both wadding through guilt, and that he had caused it."  
> Jessica goes missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so my writing style is kinda?? different in this chapter  
> at least in the beginning  
> it sorta fades into my normal style about 640 or so words in  
> sorry  
> but  
> IT STILL DOESNT HAVE A CRYING TIM IM S O RRY  
> HE'LL BE CRYING SOON I PROMISE  
> 1263 words

The blue jay didn’t correct him. They both knew they were too hurt to fight anymore. Instead, he responded with a quick and quiet, “ **Sorry.** ”

            From then on, it was just the three men chatting about finding Tim a new house, and how the raven himself missed his old one, and the weather, and so on. The raven shot Jay a glance every now and again, hoping that he really didn’t see, but at the same time, wishing he would. He hurt Jay, and in turn, the guilt that stabbed him felt like sharpened blades, slowly twisting and turning in his chest.

            The raven knew they were both wadding through guilt, and that he had caused it.

            His realization that the couch would’ve been a better place to sleep wasn’t sudden, as one would expect, but rather time-consuming. He looked over at it, blinked a few times, and turned back to Brian. And then, he turned back to the couch, his eyes wide and hoping that maybe it had been a mirage of some sort. It was not.

            Tim felt more distant than he had the day prior, and though he understood why, he didn’t like it. He hadn’t realized he’d been staring just over Brian’s shoulder for the past five minutes until Jay grabbed his sleeve and shook him a bit.

            “ **I… Fuck, what?** ” The raven asked, feeling anxious. He didn’t remember there was a conversation happening right beside him. The guilt had practically consumed his brain, and he’d been mentally struggling to keep himself from drowning in the bubbling black oil. He was just bobbing on the surface, helpless as the crude liquid filled his mouth and his limbs grew heavy.

            “ **I said, ‘you’ve been pretty quiet,’** ” The mockingbird responded. His eyes were clouded with an uncertainty that Tim could very much see. The oil hadn’t stolen his eyesight from him yet, it seemed.

            “ **Oh.** ” The word was single and solemn as it escaped the raven’s lips, and he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t think of anything else to say, and resorted to standing there with the lingering gazes of his friends burning upon him, in silence.

            This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Tim often drifted off, usually when he was upset, and it was something most of their friends had come to easily recognize. In fact, the raven knew Brian noticed it right off. That was why he was shooting him a sympathetic gaze, albeit it burned as much as the guilt radiating from Jay.

            “ **You, uh, okay, Tim…?** ” Came the blue jay’s chirp. He tilted his head toward Tim, just enough for the raven to see an apologetic look crossing his facial features, however briefly it was. Tim accepted the apology before he was even apologized to, as was his nature, and tried to will himself into speaking. Such was never an easy task, especially when your brain was still being drained of oil.

            “ **Y-yeah. Just… out of it, I guess.** ” He lied, with the knowing shared between he and the bird beside him that it was a lie, and he did it well. They both knew the mockingbird knew better, but also knew that he wouldn’t question it. As was the aftermath of guilt, as often as it plagued them.

            “ **Say, have either of you shitlords seen Jessica? She said she’d drop by here pretty early last night, but I didn’t see her on the way here. I checked her house earlier, and she wasn’t there, either.** ” Brian yawned, walking into the living room and plopping himself down on the couch. Jay’s face flushed a bright red, and Tim couldn’t help but smirk a bit. The blue jay had remembered the couch, too.

            “ **Nope. I haven’t seen her since yesterday.** ” Jay piped up, his face turned away from the mockingbird and instead glaring at Tim, who rewarded his with a snort of laughter. This, of course, wouldn’t go unnoticed by the third man in the room, whose eyes darted back and forth between them with a large grin spreading across his face.

            “ **Is there something I’m not getting here?** ” He asked in an all-too-knowing tone.

            “ **N-nothing important,** ” Jay tried assuring him, but his stutter and brightened face spoke a different message.

            “ **C’mon, spill it! I won’t tell anyone, I fucking swear.** ” The amused mockingbird replied, crossing one of his legs over the other and stretching his wings out.

            Tim grinned, looking over to the smaller man beside of him, who was looking down at the floor. He knew the blue jay wouldn’t be likely to answer the question, and took the liberty of doing so into his own hands.

            “ **Well, we didn’t remember the couch was a viable option for sleeping on.** ” The raven spoke up. He felt his face begin to warm and knew soon enough his face would be just as red as Jay’s, and was somehow okay with that.

            Brian’s eyes were scrunched shut as he let out hearty laughter, wiping a tear from his eye. He was hunched over, his sides shaking with each laugh that emerged from his throat. Tim’s eyes drifted back to the blue jay standing beside him, and noticed that his eyes began to brim from tears from embarrassment. Maybe it was just a friendly gesture that his hand ended with slithering over to intertwine with Jay’s. It didn’t go unnoticed. It was welcomed with a firm hold, and Tim wasn’t sure why he had went to hold the other’s hand, but he didn’t regret it a second.

            When Brian finally opened his eyes, his laughter dying out, the two hands had already been separated. The raven didn’t really want to let go.

            “ **Ahah… Woooo. You two didn’t end up getting friendly, did you? Because that would’ve been both hilarious and the absolute worst.** ” The mockingbird huffed, trying to catch his breath.

            Tim was surprised that this time, Jay answered. “ **Not exactly. Not that it’s anything important, at least.** ” The little blue prince puffed out his chest and fluffed his wings, feathers falling to the floor and scattering. Trying his best to not look humiliated, the raven realized.  

            Brian’s grin grew wider, the emotion all but draining from his face. “ **’Not exactly?’** ” He echoed, raising his eyebrows up and down. Tim let out a long sigh, and shook his head. He wasn’t going to explain.

* * *

 

The hours passed as they continued idle chat, having breakfast and lunch together, and the sun was soon to set by the time anyone brought up the subject of a certain hummingbird again.

            “ **She still isn’t here…** ” Tim murmured, a bit worried. He was seated at the table in the kitchen with the other two men, feasting on spaghetti. Jessica had been on their minds for a while, though none of them would admit it. Tim didn’t feel too hungry anymore.

            With the worry between them growing, none of them spoke much more. Just mumbled questions that weren’t meant to be answered. “ **Tomorrow,** ” Brian spoke up, startling the other two birds at the table, “ **we’re going looking for her. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but she was supposed to be here _way_ earlier, and none of us have heard from her.**”

            Jay and Tim nodded simultaneously, and for a while, nothing was said. Their meaningless conversations from before would soon commence again, and then Brian would leave for his own birdhouse again.

            And even though the couch was now an option that both the blue jay and the raven very much remembered, that didn’t stop Tim from sleeping beside Jay again that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise,,,, tim will cry soon,,, pls dont hate me

**Author's Note:**

> wOW YES THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR,,, IF YOU'VE READ IT ALL??  
> VERY APPRECIATED!  
> THANK,,,  
> A++ READER,,,


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